1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cleaning/disinfecting apparatus, and specifically relates to a cleaning/disinfecting apparatus that can execute a plurality of cleaning/disinfection menus simultaneously.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in an endoscope used for examination and treatment of the inside of a body, filth adheres not only to an outer surface of an insertion portion inserted into the body, but also to respective endoscope conduits such as an air/water feeding conduit, a suction conduit and a treatment instrument insertion conduit. Therefore, it is necessary to clean and disinfect not only the outer surface of the endoscope but also the insides of the respective endoscope conduits without fail. Examples of such conventional endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatuses for cleaning and disinfecting an endoscope includes an endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatus indicated in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 11-276434.
The endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatus in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 11-276434 includes a cleaning bath and can clean and disinfect an endoscope after the end of an examination by setting the endoscope in the cleaning bath. More specifically, an endoscope after use is set in the cleaning bath, and upon operation of various operation switches, respective steps of cleaning, disinfection, rinsing and air feeding are automatically performed based on instructions from a control portion.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 11-276434, in a conventional cleaning/disinfecting apparatus, only one attachment portion to which an endoscope is to be attached is provided, and a cleaning/disinfection menu is executed for only one endoscope. For work efficiency enhancement, it is preferable to execute a cleaning/disinfection menu for a plurality of endoscopes simultaneously. Thus, a plurality of attachment portions may be provided in a conventional cleaning/disinfecting apparatus so that a plurality of endoscopes can be attached to the attachment portions.